Ask HN: Have you or know someone who has been cured of acrophobia (50 yrs)? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Have you or know someone who has been cured of acrophobia (50 yrs)?

11 pointsPapaia10 comments

I have been having an ongoing fear of heights since childhood, based on what I could explain as some sort of genetic defect (i.e. no accidents, no memories of events associated with heights, etc.). Ever since grammar school, I haven't been able to go hiking with my friends, climb stairs too high, look over a balcony on a higher than 3rd level, look through a wall size window of a building, etc., etc. I could only fly medicated, with my doctor having prescribed Lorazepam, which I take 2-3 at a time, depending on the duration of trip. I tried CBT one time, approx 15 years ago, for approx 8-10 sessions (including hypnosis), and - besides being extremely expensive - led to no positive results.

I am now retired, and after a [working] life of missing all the fun and keeping my companion from enjoying such, also, I decided to see if I could attempt a self-healing of sorts. I borrowed a book I found closest to the subject ("Overcoming fear of heights" - Martin Antony, PhD et.al.), but I would still like to ask: has anyone out there fixed on their own such a problem, especially after so many years of "twisted" brain processing of space issues?

I wouldn't say cured, but managed to control it in some situations. I still get extreme fear of heights in situations I'm uncomfortable with to the point I freeze, but push myself through it for some situations.

About a decade ago we as a group decided to learn Snowboarding, I'd mostly forgotten how terrified I was of heights as I just generally don't put myself into the wrong situation.

But getting in the first cable car it all came back to me, I had to sit in the middle of the thing, not looking out the windows. Then came the chair lifts, which I mostly got through by closing my eyes and gripping tightly on the bar, for a long time, I hated them. But I really enjoyed the snowboarding part and I just kept putting myself through it, closing my eyes and gripping on for dear life.

It took several seasons of this, but I gradually got more confident with it each and every trip, cable cars came easiest at first, possibly because they're enclosed, the chair lifts took some time, and I still get a bit nervous every time they stop, but I'm feeling pretty safe most of the time and I don't worry about it.

But other aspects of mountains still terrify me, narrow paths next to cliff edges, rope bridges, observation platforms with metal grids for floors, I still feel in some situations. I feel I would still just drop to my knees and crawl away

While it may be difficult for someone in their 50s, I found indoor rock climbing, particularly bouldering and top-rope climbing, helped a great deal with a mild personal fear of heights, because it breaks old negative associations with heights.

I found top-rope climbing quickly acclimates people to heights, because it repeatedly puts you in situations where you are constantly in high places 5-30 feet off the ground, suspended by ropes, in a situation you're having fun. Having tied all your own knots so that you know they're good, having the ability to ascend gradually and have someone lower you if you get too nervous, having someone below encouraging you and ready to catch you with friction tools ensuring even if you let go of the wall, you just stay suspended at your current height, and getting a better physical sense for one's body as a physical, gravitational object, quickly get you used to being in the air in a context where you're actually having fun, which strongly helps break the fear.

Bouldering, rock climbing on walls without ropes about 5-12 feet in height over thickly-padded floors, accomplishes many of the same goals, and also accustoms and trains you to fall safely and trust in your balance and strength when up high. It's also easier to get started as a beginner, as all you need are rock climbing shoes and a gym.

I agree with the parent poster in regards to top roping, but I will add one thing: climb up 8 or more meters and let yourself fall about a meter allowing the rope to jolt you when it takes your weight. The subsequent adrenaline rush will make you lose your fear. I can go from freaking out to smashing climbs in about 5 minutes :)

As a note: be safe if you do this -- get an experienced climber to belay you. I do not take any responsibility for any harm this could cause.

Cheers

Tom Scott shared on his secondary channel a few related experiences : Fear of roller-coasters : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BdZPFzH2JY Trying tight rope : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhOTMyzTDJw

You might want to see if you can get a prescription for Propranolol and have some guided exposure therapy while on it. People have used it to successfully cure arachnophobia and other phobias.

It works surprisingly well and helps you essentially erase those old memories / fear and reconsolidate new ones.

You need to follow the protocol carefully. It is roughly:

1. expose yourself to the fear

2. take propranolol

3. rest for 90 minutes (light reading, sleep)

4. wait a few days and get good sleep

5. re test

I wish you best of luck!!!

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25980916/

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-020-0857-z

One of the researchers named on both these papers now runs a clinic in Amsterdam: https://kindtclinics.com/en/

You could talk with a therapist about exploring virtual reality exposure therapy[0]. Something like a quest 2, and wooden board, and Richie's Plank Experience [1] could be used to simulate the heights.

I believe there is opportunity in this area for treating things like fear of heights or spiders.

[0] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6823515/

[1] https://www.oculus.com/experiences/quest/1642239225880682/

Flooding worked for me https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flooding_(psychology). I did it very gradually and spent a ton of time on the process (about 4 hours a day for a month or two). I did it mostly on my own though and it surely would have been faster if I had someone pushing me (I got the blessing of my therapist, but they didn't partake).

I wouldn't say it has cured it, however, as it will come back if I don't actively exercise it. I've had to do the flooding process again when I reverted during a particularly busy time in my life.

You might try graded exposure therapy in conjunction with a therapist https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exposure_therapy

Pole climbing might help. You can go up as high as you can and just stay there for like an hour and go back down. But you will need someone close by to help you when you freeze up.

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